A group of poets will seek inspiration for their work and aim to inspire other writers when they set out on a walking tour that takes them over tough moorland landscapes, heading towards one of the country’s leading literature festivals.

Michael Stewart, a playwright, poet, novelist and senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Huddersfield, will be joined by three fellow writers on the trip – Julia Deakin, Gaia Holmes and William Thirsk-Gaskill. The poets have all been published by Grist Books, an innovative literary venture based at the University of Huddersfield.

The writers selected by Michael to join him on the walk not only had to be published poets who were good performers of their own work, but they also had to be physically fit enough to be able to complete the demanding hike.

They will depart from Marsden in the Colne Valley, near Huddersfield, and spend four days walking to Ilkley Literature Festival. At the start and the finish of their journey, between October 17 and 20, and on overnight stopovers in Hebden Bridge and Bingley, they will stage performances and hold writers’ workshops.

The route they will follow is a trail that is marked by the Stanza Stones, which were commissioned by the Ilkley Literature Festival in 2010. These are poems, responding to the Pennine landscape, which were written by the poet Simon Armitage and carved on to six rocks along the 47 miles from Marsden to Ilkley. During their walk, the Grist poets will carry with them Simon Armitage’s sock and use it to collect charity donations.

Michael Stewart said he devised the combination of the walking tour, live performances and writers’ workshops as Ilkley Literature Festival was keen to keep up the momentum of the Stanza Stones project. Also the very act of walking can unlock literary creativity, said Michael.

“The pace of walking matches the pace of writing,” he said. “There is a long tradition of writers finding poems on their walks – Wordsworth, of course, and more recently Simon Armitage.”

Established writers’ groups have been invited to the en route workshops, but the events will be completely open, so that anybody can bring their work, added Michael. And at the evening performances, after the four Stanza Stones poets have had their slots, there will be open mic sessions.

Performance dates are: Thursday, October 17, Marsden, The Riverhead Tavern; Friday, October 18, Hebden Bridge library; Saturday, October 19, Bingley, The Brown Cow and Sunday, October 20, Ilkley, St Margaret's Hall.

All performances start at 7.30pm and last one hour followed by an open mic event.